December 07, 2023

Gunbrella is a Fantasy Novel Disguised as a Game

December 07, 2023/ nicholas saumur

I've got a problem. A metroidvania problem. I need more. Ever since I've played Hollow Knight, I've been searching for a game that would fulfill my need for exploration in a vast world. When I heard about a new metroidvania called Gunbrella I was very excited to try it out.

Well unfortunately, Gunbrella didn’t satisfy and I don’t quite know what to make of it.

It’s not a metroidvania

Even though Gunbrella is advertised as a metoidvania, I would classify it more as an adventure game. A staple of metroidvanias is non-linear exploration but the whole map feels like a long path that you're not allowed to leave. The way you move around the world is with a train that connects multiple isolated areas. Most of these areas have you going either to the left or the right with forking paths few and far between.

For a genre that is meant to focus on exploration, Gunbrella has very few opportunities to do so. The game also has several side quests that suffer from the linear design. Most of the quests are easy to complete because you never need to go out of your way to finish them and some of these quests are mandatory to beat the game which defeats the whole point of a side quest.

One of the main appeals of a metroidvania is the acquisition of new powers and abilities, but with Gunbrella there isn't much of that. At the start of the game, you get your gunbrella and that’s it aside from the various alternate ammo types. However, these items are limited and can be purchased at any shop at the earliest opportunity. I haven’t finished the game yet but the only permanent upgrade I've received was a special bullet that can kill one specific enemy.

There are, however, gun and health upgrades that feel more metroidy but finding something that lets your gun do slightly more damage isn't that exciting.

The gameplay is ok, but it's just ok

Despite my disappointment, there are some good things about this game. The combat and platforming systems are pretty fun though underutilized. I absolutely love using the gunbrella to fly all over the place and obliterate enemies. However, it’s a real shame that there are very few combat encounters to play with as you’ll be spending most of your time in towns or talking to other characters.

At least the story is good

The one thing that I have no problems with is the story because It’s pretty good. Since the game is mainly story-focused, it works more as an adventure game than anything. The game takes place in a 1930s type fantasy world and is about a woodsman who comes home one day to find his wife murdered and the only clue left at the scene of the crime is the titular gunbrella. And with that, you’re thrust into a story of revenge with monsters, cults, and dwindling natural resources.

As mentioned earlier, I haven't finished the game yet, but the story so far has been excellent as well as immersive. I’ve enjoyed going around the world investigating leads, sneaking around, and interacting with characters.

In conclusion, while Gunbrella isn't a very good game in terms of gameplay it has a very nice story that’s worth checking out. I’d recommend this game if you’re a new or inexperienced gamer or if you're just looking for a story. If you’re a longtime gamer, you’re better off reading a book.

I’m Nicholas, an aspiring author who’s too busy playing games instead of actually writing something. I love fast-paced boomer shooters, really long metroidvanias, and hardcore action platformers. My list of favourites includes Ultrakill, Hollow Knight, Deep Rock Galactic, and Blasphemous. If you're tired of big-budget AAA games letting you down and want to dive into the world of weird obscure indie games, I’m your guy.

November 15, 2023

Faith, the Game so Scary it’ll Make you Mortis

November 15, 2023/ nicholas saumur

Father John faces a demon — MAGE COURTESY OF new blood

What’s your favourite scary game? For the longest time, I didn’t have one, that is, until I gave Faith: The Unholy Trinity a chance. With most horror games these days being kid-friendly walking simulators, this amazing game has easily become one of my all-time favourites. Halloween may be over but horror isn’t.

The story

Like a lot of horror games, the story of Faith is told out of order through a bunch of scattered lore notes. While this does sound like it would make the lore a pain to understand, most of the notes act as supplementary material and aren't needed to get a basic understanding of what's going on.

Without spoilers, Faith is the story about John Ward, a priest who returns to the sight of an incomplete exorcism in order to finish what he started but discovers that this is only part of something bigger. And once you get past the pixelated, rotoscoped surface, you come across a story that is equal parts horrifying and hopeful.

The scares

You wouldn't expect something that looks like it was made on the Atari to be scary, but Faith delivers. Unlike a lot of horror games, Faith rarely relies on jumpscares and instead creates a tense atmosphere, which keeps the player on their toes with its game mechanics and sound design.

Throughout the game, you never truly feel safe. There are usually demons just around the corner ready to turn John into a pile of red and blue mush. And while John is far from helpless, no two demons behave the same, and you'll never know what to expect especially on a blind playthrough.

The music is also fantastic at creating an oppressive atmosphere by combining music with noise that can convince the player into thinking there is something after them.

The gameplay

A girl with a demonic hand coming out of her face — iMAGE COURTESY OF airdorf games

Faith flips the script of horror protagonists being completely vulnerable by giving John the ability to ward off demons with his cross. While this does give you the confidence to face whatever hell has to throw at you, John is still pretty vulnerable; he's slow as hell and he’ll always die in one hit.

The developers do an excellent job of making you feel safe when you use your cross, making it extremely terrifying in the rare instances where it's ineffective or taken away.

The style 

Taking all of that into consideration, Faith isn't complete without its iconic visual style. The whole game was made to look and feel like it was actually made in the time period it’s set in. Although some aspects of the games are too technologically complex for something that came out in the 80s, it still looks like a real Atari game right down to the simplified controls that mimic the Atari’s one joystick and one button.

What really sets Faith apart, however, are its rotoscoped cutscenes. For those unfamiliar: rotoscoping is when an animator traces over live-action footage to create realistic animation and it gives the game a unique visual style that also makes it easy for fans to replicate.

In conclusion

Faith: The Unholy Trinity is a terrifying masterpiece that shows you just how scary demons can be. It has simple controls that can be used in complex situations, and it does all this while looking fantastic. This is as much as I’m willing to talk about without spoiling the experience too much. So, if you're at all interested in this the trinity can be purchased on Steam right now. 

Just remember, Gary loves you. 

Mortis — iMAGE COURTESY OF airdorf games

I’m Nicholas, an aspiring author who’s too busy playing games instead of actually writing something. I love fast-paced boomer shooters, really long metroidvanias, and hardcore action platformers. My list of favourites includes Ultrakill, Hollow Knight, Deep Rock Galactic, and Blasphemous. If you're tired of big-budget AAA games letting you down and want to dive into the world of weird obscure indie games, I’m your guy.

October 13, 2023

Three Upcoming FPS Games you Should Look out for

October 13, 2023/ nicholas saumur

Steam demos are great, you get a little bite-sized game for free that you don’t have to commit to. As someone who is addicted to demos, I can verify that it’s a great way to decide whether or not you want to buy something. We’ll be here forever if I'm allowed to share all my demos, so I’m going to narrow down my recommendations to just 3 FPSs that show a lot of promise.

Anger Foot

This adrenaline rush of a game has been dubbed 3D Hotline Miami by those who have played it and it's not hard to see why. In Anger Foot, you play as a frog? zombie? With the most ripped legs, you’ve ever seen. His name: Anger Foot (obviously). His goal: rescue his favourite pair of shoes from a bizarre assortment of anthropomorphic gangsters and thugs.

Your greatest weapon in this game are your feet. You can kick enemies directly or send doors and other objects flying at them. You're also able to pick up any guns dropped by your foes for some extra firepower.

In order to succeed, you'll need to have a good memory. Just like In Hotline Miami you’re pretty squishy so you'll usually die in one or two hits and there are no checkpoints so don’t expect to start out as a rampaging monster on your first try. But once you’ve memorized the level, you'll blast through the level while the hard bass soundtrack pumps away as if it’s one continuous song.

One downside of this game is it can be very short if you know what you’re doing, but then again this is a demo so who knows how long the game will be. Thanks to the trailer that recently dropped at Realms Deep, we know this game is set to release next year so that’s plenty of time to check it out for yourself.

Shady Knight

So Shady Knight isn’t technically a first-person shooter. It's more of a first-person slicer or something along those lines. There is not much story as of right now, but this game makes up for it in almost every other department.

Shady Night has some of the most satisfying movement mechanics I've seen in a while. You’ve got your standard ledge grabbing, sliding, and handy grappling hook, but also unique features like being able to super jump off of physics objects or enemies and dash in any direction to gab weapons which you can throw and then grab to get to places you're not supposed to be.

The game's combat is also phenomenal and on par with Ultrakill in that respect, with fans often drawing comparisons between the two games. You can slide kick an enemy into the air, slam him into the ground with your grappling hook, then steal his weapon by literally flying up to grab it and then come crashing back down. There are a few annoying quirks that the combat has, like not being able to grab enemies mid-air or while holding a weapon. Fortunately, a new trailer shown at Realms Deep in September had some gameplay footage that showed most of the quirks being fixed.

So, if you like fast-paced combat and platforming, be sure to try the demo before the game is released next year.

Captain Wayne - Vacation Desperation

Here's one for you boomer shooter fans out there. Captain Wayne may be a “GZ Doom” mod, but it’s got a whole lot of personality. You take control of a sailor with a shotgun for an arm who's on a quest to kill a bunch of land-lubing mercenaries who stole his beloved boat.

In terms of gameplay, it’s just your standard Doom clone with all the extra features provided by “GZ Doom” along with a few unique creations like Wayne's canon or thunder punch weapons. If you’re a Doom fan, then you'll have seen stuff like this before, but if it ain’t broke don’t fix it; it’s perfect just the way it is.

What this game does better however is its presentation. This whole game is brimming with personality with its cartoony art style, hilarious character dialogue, and unique soundtrack (the whole OST is on YouTube so feel free to check it out). Even though there is just one level in the demo right now, it's crammed full of little details that make the game world feel real. Unlike the other games I've talked about, Captain Wayne has no set release date, so we’ll just have to keep an eye out for when it's ready.